In June 2016, Detroit Public Television premiered “Love, Life & Loss,” a music documentary featuring the University of Michigan Men’s Glee Club performing “Seven Last Words of the Unarmed” by Joel Thompson and “Glory” by John Legend and Common, from the film “Selma.”

Produced by Michigan Media at the University of Michigan, this short film focuses on the Michigan Men’s Glee Club and conductor Eugene Rogers, associate director of choirs and professor of conducting at the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance, as they perform and discuss a new work that addresses issues of race and social justice.

Inspired by Iranian-American artist Shirin Barghi’s #lastwords project, “Seven Last Words of the Unarmed” is a choral work of seven short movements that features the dying words of unarmed black men.

“We knew from the minute we saw this powerful film that it was something that needed to be shared with our viewers.”

– Fred Nahhat, senior vice president of production, Detroit Public Television

Rogers said that “Seven Last Words” challenged his students—who represent various ages, races, religions, cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds—to see the world through the eyes of others.

“I am really proud of the way that they opened themselves up to this experience. I was very conflicted about presenting this piece, because I did not want it to be misinterpreted purely as a political statement. In the end, we listened to each other and we grew together through song,” he adds.

The U-M Men’s Glee Club, conducted by Dr. Eugene Rogers, associate director of choirs and professor at the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance, performs during the filming of the documentary “Love, Life & Loss.” Video stills courtesy Chris McElroy, Michigan Media.

The U-M Men’s Glee Club, conducted by Dr. Eugene Rogers, associate director of choirs and professor at the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance, performs during the filming of the documentary “Love, Life & Loss.” Video stills courtesy Chris McElroy, Michigan Media.

The U-M Men’s Glee Club, conducted by Dr. Eugene Rogers, associate director of choirs and professor at the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance, performs during the filming of the documentary “Love, Life & Loss.” Video stills courtesy Chris McElroy, Michigan Media.

The U-M Men’s Glee Club, conducted by Dr. Eugene Rogers, associate director of choirs and professor at the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance, performs during the filming of the documentary “Love, Life & Loss.” Video stills courtesy Chris McElroy, Michigan Media.

The U-M Men’s Glee Club, conducted by Dr. Eugene Rogers, associate director of choirs and professor at the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance, performs during the filming of the documentary “Love, Life & Loss.” Video stills courtesy Chris McElroy, Michigan Media.

The U-M Men’s Glee Club, conducted by Dr. Eugene Rogers, associate director of choirs and professor at the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance, performs during the filming of the documentary “Love, Life & Loss.” Video stills courtesy Chris McElroy, Michigan Media.

The U-M Men’s Glee Club, conducted by Dr. Eugene Rogers, associate director of choirs and professor at the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance, performs during the filming of the documentary “Love, Life & Loss.” Video stills courtesy Chris McElroy, Michigan Media.

The U-M Men’s Glee Club, conducted by Dr. Eugene Rogers, associate director of choirs and professor at the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance, performs during the filming of the documentary “Love, Life & Loss.” Video stills courtesy Chris McElroy, Michigan Media.

The personal papers of one of U-M’s most infamous alumni, assisted suicide advocate Dr. Jack Kevorkian, were acquired by the Bentley Historical Library in October 2015. “Long before Jack Kevorkian was known as ‘Dr. Death,’ he was a child of Armenian immigrants, a successful student, a graduate of the University of Michigan Medical School, a musician, composer and scientist,” noted Terrence McDonald, director of the Bentley. “These papers will allow scholars and students to understand the context of and driving forces in an interesting and provocative life.”

In addition to correspondence, published works, manuscript drafts, photographs, court records, news coverage and interviews, the materials also contain taped conversations between Kevorkian and his patients. Often these conversations transformed into discussions about the terminally ill patient’s right to have a choice in how they want to die, about religion, the legal system, politics and public discourse surrounding assisted suicide.

“These papers will allow scholars and students to understand the context of and driving forces in an interesting and provocative life.”

– Terrence McDonald, director, Bentley Historical Library

Kevorkian was considered a radical even in his days as a student at the U-M Medical School—from which he graduated in 1952—and later as a resident, when he proposed giving prisoners condemned to death the option to undergo euthanasia in order to subject their bodies to medical experimentation and allow harvesting of their healthy organs.

The release of the Kevorkian collection comes at a significant turning point in the “death with dignity” debate. Recently, California became the fifth state to allow terminally ill patients to legally end their lives using doctor-prescribed drugs.

Kevorkian as a child, circa 1934–1931. Courtesy the University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library.

A photo of Jack Kevorkian and Tom Cruise, taken by a cell phone during the 2010 Emmy Awards ceremony. Courtesy the University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library.

Portrait of Kevorkian, titled "Dr. Life" by Rachel Reed, created in 1993. The portrait bears the inscription, "Go on because you know you are right." This portrait was used by Kevorkian's supporters during public events. Courtesy the University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library.

Jack Kevorkian's business card, with a printed message "Kevorkian M.E.R.C.Y. Amendment. Movement Ensuring the Right to Choose for Yourself." Contact information is indicated on the card. Courtesy the University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library.

Color photograph of painting by Jack Kevorkian "Nearer My God to Thee" (oil, between 1963 and 1966) Painting was stolen from Kevorkian's storage in Long Beach, CA in circa 1989. Courtesy the University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library.

Postcard advertising Jack Kevorkian's exhibit at the Armenian Library and Museum of America in Watertown, Mass., September 19 through October 24, 1999, scanned 4.00x5.91 color print. Courtesy the University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library.

Kevorkian as a child, circa 1934–1931. Courtesy the University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library.

The Calidore String Quartet took top honors at the first-ever M-Prize competition, hosted by the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance (SMTD). The New York City ensemble earned $100,000 for their efforts as well as the opportunity to participate in the University Musical Society’s chamber arts concert series.

Cash prizes totaling $90,000 were also awarded to strings, winds and open category ensembles.

The M-Prize competition was created to identify and showcase the highest caliber of chamber music ensembles in the world. In its first year, it became the largest such contest in terms of prize money and number of applicants. Twenty-nine ensembles, comprising 120 artists, participated in semifinal and final rounds May 18-19, 2016 at U-M. The final rounds were broadcast on Detroit Public Television and made available to other PBS stations.

“We were thrilled with this inaugural year,” said Aaron Dworkin, dean of SMTD and organizer of the event. “We are confident that it will develop audiences and awareness for this genre, which has the potential to play such a vital role in the careers of today’s performing artists.”

Grand prize winners and senior strings winners, the Calidore String Quartet, perform at the grand prize gala. Photo: Daryl Marshke, Michigan Photography.

Grand prize winners and senior strings winners, the Calidore String Quartet, perform at the grand prize gala. Photo: Daryl Marshke, Michigan Photography.

Senior winds division winners, the Kenari Quartet, perform at the grand prize gala. Photo: Daryl Marshke, Michigan Photography.

Senior “open division winners Yarn/Wire perform at the grand prize gala at Hill Auditorium. Photo: Daryl Marshke, Michigan Photography.

Senior “open division winners Yarn/Wire perform at the grand prize gala. Photo: Daryl Marshke, Michigan Photography.

Senior strings winners, the Calidore String Quartet, are announced as the overall competition winners at Hill Auditorium. Photo: Daryl Marshke, Michigan Photography.

Aaron Dworkin, dean of the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance, presents the $100K grand prize award to the Calidore String Quartet at Hill Auditorium. Photo: Daryl Marshke, Michigan Photography.

Grand prize winners, the Calidore String Quartet, left to right: Jeffrey Myers (violin), Estelle Choi (cello), Ryan Meehan (violin), and Jeremy Berry (violin). Photo: Daryl Marshke, Michigan Photography.

With eight faculty participants representing three different countries, the University of Michigan Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning took center stage at the world’s top architecture show during summer 2016.

The Venice Architecture Biennale, established in 1980 as part of the 130-year-old Venice Art Biennale, is a celebratory exhibition held every two years that brings together the foremost architectural visionaries practicing today from more than 100 countries.

Not only was Taubman College awarded the U.S. State Department bid to host and curate the 2016 U.S. Pavilion, but work from Taubman faculty also was presented in the Canadian and Kuwait Pavilions as part of the 15th International Architecture Exhibition.

“This year, more than ever, you can really see that U-M is one of the major centers of creativity in architecture and urban planning.”

– Robert Fishman, Taubman College interim dean

“This year, more than ever, you can really see that U-M is one of the major centers of creativity in architecture and urban planning,” said Robert Fishman, Taubman College interim dean. “Our faculty represent an incredible range of expertise—from digital fabrication to global urbanism. They are international thought leaders for different ways in which cities are being transformed today.”

After nearly a year of preparation, more than 60 Taubman students, staff, fellows and faculty members traveled to Venice for the installation and opening of the “The Architectural Imagination” at the U.S. Pavilion. The exhibition, open to the public May 28-Nov. 27, 2016, uses Detroit as a fantastical model of the future to demonstrate how architecture can address the urban and environmental issues of a 21st-century postindustrial city.

Taubman College plans to present “The Architectural Imagination,” an exhibition made up of more than 250 objects, architectural models, drawings, collages and videos, at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD) in early 2017.

BairBalliet, The Next Port of Call, 2016. Oblique drawing of dock, port of entry, customs checkpoint, and waterfront entertainment venues. Speculative project for Detroit’s riverfront United States Post Office seen in The Architectural Imagination, an exhibition for the United States Pavilion, Biennale Architettura 2016, Venice. Photo by Salam Rida.

Greg Lynn FORM, Center for Fulfillment, Knowledge, and Innovation, 2016. Model detail showing cogeneration plant, corporate research centers, and movable university collaboration spaces. Speculative project for Detroit’s Packard Plant seen in The Architectural Imagination, an exhibition for the United States Pavilion, Biennale Architettura 2016, Venice. Photo by Salam Rida.

Greg Lynn FORM, Center for Fulfillment, Knowledge, and Innovation, 2016. Model detail showing cogeneration plant, corporate research centers, and movable university collaboration spaces. Speculative project for Detroit’s Packard Plant seen in The Architectural Imagination, an exhibition for the United States Pavilion, Biennale Architettura 2016, Venice. Photo by Salam Rida.

Marshall Brown Projects, Dequindre Civic Academy, 2016. Towards a Coordinate Unit, handmade collage on inkjet print, 40x50 inches. Speculative project spanning Detroit’s Dequindre Cut greenway seen in The Architectural Imagination, an exhibition for the United States Pavilion, Biennale Architettura 2016, Venice. Photo by Salam Rida.

Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects, Mexicantown: A Liminal Blur, 2016. Model of interpretive layers of the Mexicantown neighborhood. Speculative project for Mexicantown/Southwest Detroit seen in The Architectural Imagination, an exhibition for the United States Pavilion, Biennale Architettura 2016, Venice. Photo by Salam Rida.

Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects, Mexicantown: A Liminal Blur, 2016. Model of interpretive layers of the Mexicantown neighborhood. Speculative project for Mexicantown/Southwest Detroit seen in The Architectural Imagination, an exhibition for the United States Pavilion, Biennale Architettura 2016, Venice. Photo by Salam Rida.

Pita & Bloom, The New Zocalo, 2016. Axonometric drawing showing band shell, theater, and cultural center, part of a new neighborhood hub. Speculative project for Mexicantown/Southwest Detroit seen in The Architectural Imagination, an exhibition for the United States Pavilion, Biennale Architettura 2016, Venice. Photo by Salam Rida.

Pita & Bloom, The New Zocalo, 2016. Axonometric drawing showing band shell, theater, and cultural center, part of a new neighborhood hub. Speculative project for Mexicantown/Southwest Detroit seen in The Architectural Imagination, an exhibition for the United States Pavilion, Biennale Architettura 2016, Venice. Photo by Salam Rida.

MOS, A Situation Made from Loose and Overlapping Social and Architectural Aggregates, 2016. Sectional drawing through a new framework for the everyday life of the city. Speculative project spanning Detroit’s Dequindre Cut greenway seen in The Architectural Imagination, an exhibition for the United States Pavilion, Biennale Architettura 2016, Venice. Photo by Salam Rida.

Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects, Mexicantown: A Liminal Blur, 2016. Model of interpretive layers of the Mexicantown neighborhood. Speculative project for Mexicantown/Southwest Detroit seen in The Architectural Imagination, an exhibition for the United States Pavilion, Biennale Architettura 2016, Venice. Photo by Salam Rida.

Present Future, New Corktown, 2016. Model of superblock using cross-laminated timber construction. Speculative project for Detroit’s riverfront United States Post Office seen in The Architectural Imagination, an exhibition for the United States Pavilion, Biennale Architettura 2016, Venice. Photo by Salam Rida.

Preston Scott Cohen Inc., Revolving Detroit, 2016. Model of post office, undulating roof, and entwined ramp and staircase. Speculative project for Detroit’s riverfront United States Post Office seen in The Architectural Imagination, an exhibition for the United States Pavilion, Biennale Architettura 2016, Venice. Photo by Salam Rida.

Stan Allen Architect, Detroit Rock City, 2016. Model detail showing observation tower and conservatory, part of a larger vertical botanical garden. Speculative project for Detroit’s Packard Plant seen in The Architectural Imagination, an exhibition for the United States Pavilion, Biennale Architettura 2016, Venice. Photo by Scott Benedict, Practical(ly) Studios. Photo by Salam Rida.

T+E+A+M, Detroit Reassembly Plant, 2016. Perspective rendering showing megamasonry mountain, formed by a new aggregate made of recycled building materials and supported by the Packard Plant’s existing columns. Speculative project for Detroit’s Packard Plant seen in The Architectural Imagination, an exhibition for the United States Pavilion, Biennale Architettura 2016, Venice. Photo by Salam Rida.

Zago Architecture, A New Federal Project, 2016. Model detail showing federal building, which deploys novel architectural forms as a means of direct political engagement. Speculative project along Detroit’s Dequindre Cut seen in The Architectural Imagination, an exhibition for the United States Pavilion, Biennale Architettura 2016, Venice. Photo by Salam Rida.

James Earl Jones, Gilda Radner and “Glee” star Darren Criss were trained at the University of Michigan’s Department of Theatre and Drama, at the School of Music, Theatre & Dance, which celebrated its 100th anniversary with commemorative performances during FY 2016.

The yearlong “Theatre 100” celebration opened with free performances of “Sun & Shadows: A Guatemalan Tale Projected on North Campus.” The show’s unique feature involved giant shadow puppets projected on the outside glass walls of the Arthur Miller Theatre in the Walgreen Drama Center.

The centennial celebrations included festivities over Homecoming Weekend and events celebrating the centenary of Arthur Miller’s birth, with performances of “All My Sons” and a three-day Miller symposium.

U-M has offered theater classes for credit for 125 years. “It’s only since 1915 that we started calling ourselves a department, and began offering credit to be in a production and also offering classes in things other than acting, including costume design and lighting and set design. We’ve got an amazing history,” explains Priscilla Lindsay, associate professor and chair of the Department of Theatre and Drama.

Students perform "A Matter of Style" in 1963.

James Earl Jones in Aristophanes’s "The Birds," 1952. Photo courtesy U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance.

Darren Criss, “Glee” star, in a December 2008 production of "Pride and Prejudice." Photo by Peter Smith.

The centennial celebrations recognized the centenary of alumnus Arthur Miller’s birth, with performances of “All My Sons” and a three-day Miller symposium.